NWI Patriots Blog

A lot of enthusiastic people filled the gymnasium at Lakeview Middle School in Warsaw, IN, on Saturday, November 21, 2009, for the “Making A Difference in 2010″ rally.  I haven’t yet seen any official estimates, but there were well over 1000 present.  The event was sponsored by 12 Tea Party and 912 organizations.  If you weren’t able to make it, you missed some rip-roaring speeches and an illuminating question-and-answer session between three contenders for the position of Republican challenger against Senator Evan Bayh in 2010.

The entry area was filled with booths offering information and merchandise from various organizations.  The ones I saw participating were Lake County Tea Party, Fair Tax, Kosciusko County Right To Life, WabashC3.org, Northest Indiana 9/12 project, Kosciusko Silent No More, Team Huck, and the three Republican hopefuls, Richard Behney, Marlin Stutzman and Don Bates, Jr.  You could enter a raffle by filling out a questionnaire.

In the gym was a stage with a big screen, the U.S. and Indiana flags and an arch of red, white and blue balloons, from which the program took place.  The floor seating area was filled, as were most of the bleachers on both sides of the room.

Although there were few flags and signs in the crowd the rally still had the feel of a Tea Party. There were a lot of children present, and the atmosphere had the welcoming, family-friendly feel of all Tea Party events.

One gentleman kept Founding Principles front and center.

The festivities began with a welcome from Pete Recchio of the Michiana 9/12 group.  He asked the crowd if we were ready to put God, the Constitution and We The People back in charge.  The audience responded with shouts of Yes We Can! and USA.  He offered thank yous to the organizers of the rally.

A local pastor led a prayer, a group of children led the Pledge of Allegiance, and a singer performed a medley of patriotic songs including God Bless America and Battle Hymn of the Republic.  She led the crowd in singing the National Anthem.

We watched a video by Minnesota Representative Michelle Bachman, which got a warm response.  The speakers portion of the event was kicked off by author Thomas Tabback, who spoke of the need for the end of voting for the lesser of two evils.  Mr. Emory McClendon led the audience in declaring No We Won’t! accept this big-government version of Hope and Change.  Mr. McClendon, who is black, refreshingly made clear his view that the only “isms” in the Tea Party movement are Americanism and Constitutionalism.  Wes Robinson, an RN who was very involved in the  Indianapolis Tea Party, announced his candidacy for office in Indiana District 19.

The Rev. C. L. Bryant was the next speaker.  He demanded that President Obama tear down the walls politicians have put up between themselves and voters at the March on DC on 9/12/09, and repeated that call here.  He called on Washington to stop playing the game of political correctness and demanded that politicians choose sides between the Constitution and political correctness.  His electrifying speech brought the house down.

The Reverend was followed by Kokomo teacher and radio talk show host Peter Heck, who reminded us of James Madison’s warning that the enemies of freedom come from within.  He said that the elephant and the donkey have taken turns trampling the eagle, and  told Washington that the change voters want is less of them in our lives.

Then began the moderated candidate forum.  Although invited, Senator Bayh declined to attend.  The three candidates were introduced and each gave a brief statement.

The candidates, from left to right:  Don Bates, Jr.,   Richard Behney, and Marlin Stutzman.

They were asked six questions which were chosen from among those submitted by members of the sponsoring organizations.  Here are paraphrases of the questions, and some of the answers:

1.  In your opinion, what place does the recognition of God have in our nation?  All three candidates strongly agreed that God does have a place in the country’s national life.

2.  Do you consider the Constitution to be a “living document” and how does that view affect your oath to serve the Constitution?  All three said no, the Constitution is not a living document.

3.  How would you vote on a bill that you mostly agree with, but has parts or amendments that you don’t support?  Mr. Stutzman said it’s important to keep issues separate in bills that are voted on, that he would apply the Constitution to the bill and that he would read the bill before voting on it.  He said he applies these tests to bills:  does it comply with my convictions, does it represent my voters, and, lastly, is it consistent with my Party’s philosophy?  Mr. Bates said he would not vote for the bill if it went against his convictions, and that politicians need to get back to principle and forget about power.  Mr. Behney said, No more compromise – hell no!

4.  Does the Tenth Amendment limit Federal powers?

5.  If elected, how will you reduce the debt?  What programs would you cut?  Would you work to freeze spending?  What taxes would you raise?

6.  What role should the US play in the United Nations?  All three candidates had a negative attitude toward the UN.

The audience was invited to ask questions.  Some of the issues raised:  their views on illegal immigration, how will they insulate themselves from the cesspool that is Washington politics, views on repealing the 17th Amendment (popular election of Senators), if they lose against Bayh will they run against Lugar in 2012 and what will they do to turn back the damage already done by Washington if elected, among others.  A child asked what they would do about pollution in the country.

That ended the day, and the crowd dispersed. Northern Indiana did itself proud, and the organizers deserve a lot of thanks for getting people together and helping us get to know the people who want our votes next spring.

More photos here.

Tags: Bates, Behney, Evan Bayh, Senate, Stutzman, Tea Party, Warsaw

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 22nd, 2009 at 3:26 pm and is filed under Accountable Representation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.